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Trip Start Nov 17, 2005

Trip End Mar 16, 2006

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Flag of New Zealand Westport, South Island, New Zealand
Monday, January 2, 2006

and a very happy 2006 to us all - of course we had it some 13 hours ahead of GMT, and fireworks from the Auckland Skytower aren't quite the same as Big Ben. We also got advance coverage of the Queen's speech! The North island is fun, but it is hard not to feel an instant sense of relaxation as the ferry comes through the scenic Marlborough Sounds into sleepy Picton, and it all goes quiet.

First stop was Anikiwa right at the end of the Queen Charlotte track and 25 twisty km from Picton. This tiny hostel (someone's house with a couple of extra rooms) boasts a stunning view over the sound - when the owner went out for the evening (Kiwi trust for you!) our TV watching was limited to Shrek 2 as we just couldn't concentrate much due to the view. We enjoyed a walk on the track and being able to fall off it and straight for a cup of tea - the car got two day's holiday

Whiz, the Kiwiana dog

! The only slight fly in the ointment was the adjacent NZ Outward Bound centre which kicks off at 6:30am each day with noisy physical jerks, not quite with the advertised ethos of learning to make the best of the outdoors. Do people pay for this?

We moved on with some regret - but it was Xmas in Golden Bay so no real hardship. We've been to 'Kiwiana' in Takaka before and were remembered by both the owner and her dog. Settled into our comfy caravan we were all set for Xmas lunch - salmon, sausages and Pavlova! Sadly this was the only wet day of our stay but nonetheless it was all very convivial.Outings included a visit to Farewell Spit at the top of the South island - a mix of sand dune, forest and farm. We had an unexpected fur seal encounter - we know to keep a good distance from snoozing pinnipeds but didn't spot one masquerading as a rock, so suddenly there was a lot of startled blubber in front of us. Both parties retreated with haste.

After further educational walks around springs and along a vertiginous water race (that powers a restored hydro station) it was a regretful farewell to Takaka and on to the West Coast. This is the fabled wettest part of NZ but we've actually had two dry and sunny days. We visited more seals at Cape Foulwind (Captain Cook had a way with names) - it's pup season so there is much falling off rocks and squeaking going on

NZ fur seal

. Maybe they will grow up to scare tourists too.

Yesterday we went up to the old mining town of Denniston, at the top of its famous incline, a steep slope which was used to take the coal down in a operation fraught with all sorts of hazards. The coal is still there but the miners can now get up and down by road and the incline got too expensive to maintain, so even though mining still goes on the town has been deserted for some time. Somewhat surprisingly there are few houses left - turns out they took them with, something you can do in NZ! Still, all very interesting and followed up with today's visit to the coal mining museum, we are now fully versed on the subject.

Tomorrow it is down to Punakaiki for a stay in a Kiwi bach - let's hope the insect repellent works... and then back up to Karamea next weekend for a visit to the end of the West Coast road and a lot of limestone and more beaches.look forward to hearing from you on our return to civilisation in a few days!